The name Houghton is well-known to Michiganians. It graces a city, a county, a lake, waterfalls, schools, and more. But what made Douglass Houghton such a star? As the fledgling state s first geologist, he found more than any explorer before him from salt springs to gypsum. His reports helped launch a rush to the Keweenaw Peninsula s Copper Country. He also found time to be elected mayor of Detroit and teach at the University of Michigan, all before the age of thirty-six. Here is his story.